Battle of Fort Stunt II
The Battle of Fort Stunt II was fought on 28 June 2012 between the Brotherhood and the League, during the League War. It took place within the Brotherland, west of the Citadel, at the stronghold of Fort Stunt II. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nhiwduQ60k&feature=player_embedded Following the defeat at the Battle of the Citadel, Brotherhood forces retreated to this bastion, it deemed more defensible. A continued offensive by the League into the Brotherland brought them to the fort, which they assaulted after a lengthy skirmish period. While initial assaults were repelled, the outnumbered Brotherhood garrison was forced to retreat deeper within the fort’s defences. An attempted flanking manoeuvre by the Brotherhood via a secret ladder resulted in the Brotherhood being stuck, causing the League attackers to believe they had vanished. However, the garrison was soon spotted and attacked. The attack resulted in some casualties for the League, but eventually the disadvantaged Brotherhood was slain. Background While the Brotherhood had heard rumours of secret alliances and plans to attack the Brotherland, the outbreak of the League War on 27 June nevertheless surprised them. A seemingly simple intervention to protect an ally had resulted in full-scale war, with the Brotherhood significantly outnumbered. The arrival of the Wardens in Byzantium, the retreat from Eagle Point and defeat at the Citadel had all worked to sap Brotherhood morale. It was therefore decided that Fort Stunt would provide a better platform from which to repel further incursions in the Brotherland. Fort Stunt II was constructed and named after its architect, Stuntdawg5, who had built a similar fort previously during the Community Era. The fort had several layers of defence, allowing the defenders to retreat further into the fort as the attackers advanced. Many of the walls were also reinforced by obsidian, as well as lava traps. Most of the fort was surrounded by water with the only accessible entrance being to the west. Battle Initial Skirmish League forces spotted the Brotherhood occupying the fort shortly after their arrival in the Brotherland. While the defenders readied their positions, the attackers moved to the front gate. Here began an extended exchange of arrow fire, as the attackers probed the fort's defences. The fire was heavy throughout as day passed into night, with the attackers constructing assault platforms and formulating a plan of attack. They took further positions opposite the hill that faced Fort Stunt's main gate, allowing them a slight height advantage with shafts now striking the defenders at the gate. League Assault Several attempts to scale the walls were beaten back by the Brotherhood, until the decision was made to fall back to the inner keep. During the retreat, Warden Benz managed to get among the defenders at the Southern Inner Gate, before being driven off into the sea, where he managed to kill Abbews, who had also jumped from the wall. A push by League forces on the northern side was driven off, as the garrison scrambled to shut the inner keep gate. The Brotherhood withdrew further into the heart of the fort, where Brother Stunt informed them of the existence of a secret ladder exit. The decision was made to use this ladder to flank the attackers. Meanwhile the attackers were regroupng on the eastern side for a final push. By this point, there were no concense in how to enter the fort among the League leadership. Stuck Upon entering the narrow confines of the ladder exit, the Brotherhood became stuck. There was not enough room within the enclosed darkness to swing a pick without striking the person above you, rendering the creation of an exit impossible. Neither was it now possible to move back down the ladder. Stuck, the Brotherhood awaited their fate, albeit in a high spirits and bemused by this sudden turn of events. Meanwhile, the League troops penetrated the inner fort in a disorganized fashion, surprised to find no enemies around. However the Templar component of the army had found the entrance to the secret ladder the Brotherhood had ran into and had charged in without noticing the rest of the League army. Eventually, the Brotherhood garrison was spotted. Several attackers rushed into the narrow passage. Unable to see clearly in the pitch-black, one attacker swung blindly, killing his ally in the process. Several more attackers were slain by the Brotherhood within the dusk, until finally an opening was made above the ladder where the League had surrounded it. As the light struck the darkness, the Brotherhood launched a final charge, the attackers plunging their swords into the entangled defenders, leaving none alive. Aftermath The Battle of Fort Stunt II marked the last notable defeat suffered by the Brotherhood in the League War. Following the event, the Brotherhood planned and launched Operation Eagle's Claw, resulting in several major victories and the eventual defeat of the League.